S6 or RS6

[darkblueturbo]

Hi all,
I registered specifically to post this question as I can’t find the answer by searching.

I’ve been a C6 S6 saloon owner for 4 years and the C7 S6 has just dropped in to my budget range as the addition of a dog later this year will bring the Avant requirement to the family.

(Whys he talking about Ss, this is the RS page)

Four years ago the budget wouldn’t stretch to RS. This time, however, I could delay the purchase a year and - possibly - stretch to an RS.
Looks like there a £10 to 15,000 or so premium on the RS and I wondered if it would be worth it for me.

Obviously I want an RS over an S but that’s a bit bit of cash for me. Do I really need you to splash it?

The thing I’m really struggling to find is how do the two compare under normal driving?
Yes I know all about the headline figures and such but, engine note aside, under normal driving loaded with family the C6 S6 is kinda dull. Just an Audi making a nice noise.
I assume the C7 would be the same. But what about the RS? Is there more ‘involvement’ when pootling about town?
To let you know where I’m coming from our previous family car was an e39 M5 which, to me, was perfect. Every drive a memorable event. I miss that.
I was going to go F10 M5 until the chat about dogs ran away with itself.

Interested in the views of anyone who’s driven or, better year lived with, both.

Thanks

[dasquade]

I was in the same boat few years ago, instead of going for a higher milage RS or base model (witch most are around here), i went for a lower milage with as good as all options. It has airsuspension witch allows for nice soft cruising or lower it and get decent roadfeel. The interior is almost 99% the same beside some batches. Soft close, 360° camera etc...
Maybe the thing i'm most happy about is the the fact my S6 came with ceramic brakes. Stock a big option but as a second hand it doesn't add too much in price but saves you a lot in servicing (HEAVY automatic car that eats steel brakes).
Sure an S looks for most just a normal A but it can have some advantages => sleeper! It indeed doesn't come with the exact same engine (smaller turbo's and few internal part and less cooling etc) but with some addons and a decent tune it is on par or faster then a stock RS (also 150-200kg lighter).

Still don't regret i didn't go for an RS, offcourse the RS is more agressive looking and from stock more performing...
*yeah buy now i already spend a big amount of money to make it 'mine' but .

[darkblueturbo]

Thanks for the reply. I was looking at the stage 1 remaps. Very tempting way to get RS acceleration!!
I won’t do it straight away, with the turbos and the torque lower down the Rev range I’m expecting it to feel faster than my C6 does in most situations on the road.

Carbon brakes scare me. Sure they last longer but they must cos £Aaargh to replace.

[Tadass910]

Thanks for the reply. I was looking at the stage 1 remaps. Very tempting way to get RS acceleration!!
I won’t do it straight away, with the turbos and the torque lower down the Rev range I’m expecting it to feel faster than my C6 does in most situations on the road.

Carbon brakes scare me. Sure they last longer but they must cos £Aaargh to replace.

Don’t know if you need to replace ceramic, my car 2014 with ceramics so far so good

[Saudirick]

At the end of the day an 'S' is not, and never will be an 'RS'. If its the biggest baddest Audi you desire then go for an RS. I had the same thoughts before i bought mine but there will come a day when you are parked next to an RS or driving on the road and see an RS and wish you had made the decision to spend more money and get the 'Lord of the Rings'. NOTHING compares to driving an RS and the looks you get. You obviously desire an RS and life is too short not to have your dream car. Its a no brainer for me

[darkblueturbo]

Thanks for the replies guys. I see where you're coming from Saudirick, but my dream car is an M5 - and the lack of Touring (Avant) body leads me back to Audi (the wife veto'd the E63)

I can live with or without the looks in my family car - though the RS does look the bo**"&$( doesn't it.
What I'm really after is a comparison of how they feel to drive 'normally'

The S6 C6 is only really 'fun' when you're revving it out and being anti-social. Normal driving, it's just a lovely car.
I assume the same for the S6 C7, but I wondered if there was anything different or more involving about driving the RS around town (aside from the looks) that would make the RS more of an event each time I go out. Or is it just MORE POWER?
Right now, I'm probably going to save myself the money and buy an S6 and stage 1 it for the power.

Although, I'm not buying the car until towards the end of the year (October / November time probably) so I'll change my mind a thousand times. I thought I'd do a bit of research and chat online first.
I don't want to go to ask a salesman this question, because he'll say the one that costs more. Mind you, if I tell him how it's out of my price range, he might do something funky with a finance deal

[Edmond]

Hey Dark blue

I went through exactly this only 6 weeks ago. I test drove both the S6 and RS6 (you can find my threads asking about the merits of both somewhere here).

Stuck in traffic you aren't going to notice any difference. But frk the moment you move off the RS just feels more "alive" - not in an annoying bouncy or busy kind of way but you can feel the car is more together and cohesive as a package. It does genuinely make a difference even when popping to the shops.

What swayed it for me in two seconds was when I got finance quotes from my broker. The S6 PLUMMETS in value to such a level that even if an RS6 is 10k more the eventual amount between them after 3yrs plus will be such a significant amount that the oatments were barely different. Nobody wants them p/X either so any dealer is going to offer rock bottom. Running costs other than the brakes aren't significantly cheaper and full warranty was only 400 quid a year to extend beyond the 1yr when I bought from a dealer.

Just my two cents but I don't regret my decision for 1 second.

[dasquade]

At the end of the day an 'S' is not, and never will be an 'RS'. If its the biggest baddest Audi you desire then go for an RS. I had the same thoughts before i bought mine but there will come a day when you are parked next to an RS or driving on the road and see an RS and wish you had made the decision to spend more money and get the 'Lord of the Rings'. NOTHING compares to driving an RS and the looks you get. You obviously desire an RS and life is too short not to have your dream car. Its a no brainer for me

Agree, S will never be an RS (mentioned the main differences earlier aswell ). But like OP mentioned, from the inside if didn't saw a difference beside batches and like mentioned earlier, often most RS models are basic (friend of me bought RS...had the grey silver door/dash trims compaired to my 'only' S carbon trims for example. Again, all depends bit on OP wishes...like said, hell i like my stock air suspension big time. Slap an CETE suspension module on it and drive it as low as you want, adjust ride height in all drive select modes to your wishes (lol i even added 'OFFROAD' profile and only adjusted the front so i have 'front lift' feature.

Not want to convince, just sharing my opnion...

DSG tends to be a smoother and quicker gearbox/drive in dynamic compaired to the ZF, granded the ZF allows more power and has the torque converter.
Tuning development has evolved a lot lately aswell especially with DS1 (dyno spectrum). 1300€ for off the shelve tune but allows user to customise (COD, burble, rolling anti lag, etc), great custom service and can tune yourself. Slap some SRM inlet pipes and RS airbox on, remove the ECU air density loss on the SRM pipes and you have a very strong sleeper.

Speaking of sleepers, as much as i love the exterior look of the beefier/wider RS, an other thing to keep in mind might be...theft . Maybe it are only the RS models making the headlines, but i might prefer an sleeper and sleep good at night then an eye catching RS witch was a dream but could become your nightmare (joking a bit and trying to convice myself i did good for only buying an S over RS :p ...but i do think it makes a point to think about).

Fact is like pointed out, an S will never be an RS even as hard as you try modify it (not sure if you have plans OP?).

Who knows, since the S is the REAL last of its kind V8 maybe they will raise in value? haha i wish.

[dasquade]

Forgot to mention, if you plan on keeping the S stock....well they you might regret it and be disapointed (power and sound). An S definatly needs a tune and some exhaust work, so yeah you again come closer to price tag of RS model.

[darkblueturbo]

Edmond, I like your comments, thank you very much. From what you say, an RS sounds more like the car I want to drive than the S. Damn, they're expensive compared to what I normally look for.

Interesting about re-sale value - looking at the C6 prices, as I have one to sell, the S6 is a lot less than I paid, and the RS looks about the same as 3 years ago. That will certainly assist in man maths, though this car will be a purchase for at least 4 years. And I never take resale values in to account. (I did once, with an NSX before their prices shot up, but I had a fatal whoopsie so I broke even after insurance settled that )

Dasquade, I do like the DSG gearbox of the S. And the 'quieter' looks. I haven't seen many for sale with a set of pipes on, but I do have Miltek's finest on the C6 which is today.
So my plan was to keep it stock for a bit, then stage 1. I think that as there's a dog at the back, I may leave the pipes off the menu.

Well, thanks everyone for your input. I have more info, but my head is still spinning.
When Covid is over, I'll go find a dealer with an S and an RS and take them for a drive. But I'm thinking right now that I need to do some creative accounting to stretch myself. Who knows, 2nd hand prices might crash by the autumn.

[Tadass910]

(the wife veto'd the E63)

Because you have a dog? Prices will go down definitely cos of covid, hope you find good solution for your Audi)

[darkblueturbo]

Tadass910, I suggested the E63 estate for the dog, but she thinks they’re too uncouth the AMGs. Shame, cos I love their soundtrack.

Guy round our way had a C63 and everyone knew him because he was inappropriate with the throttle through the middle of the village. His own village.
So AMG got a bad rap round here. Shame for me.

I’ll have to slum it with an Audi. Lol.

[Covkiller]

RS6

[darkblueturbo]

RS6

Nice

[darkblueturbo]

So I’ve been thinking, and googling, and I think I’ve answered my initial question about what’s the difference in the driving of them.
A Clarkson review of the S6 when released said “...it’s not a sports car”. And the Audi website itself has the RS, but not S, models under a sports section when searching for their approved used.
Every other car website lists the S6 as a model under the A6. The RS is a thing unto itself.

So yeah, you guys already know all this and I’m finally catching up.
So I’m over to the S6 page now to see if I can find help on how the C7 differs to my C6. Is it better enough to not have to find a magic money tree to go the full RS.